The Book:
In the 1920s, a man named Joe Trace cheats on his wife, Violet, and shoots his lover. Violet then attempts to attack the corpse at the funeral, after releasing her beloved birds into the cold of New York. Morrison takes readers from present to past and back again to tell the stories of her characters, cultural experience, and what love (or lack thereof) can do to a person.

What I Liked:
I love Morrison's books, period. Morrison is an absolutely brilliant writer with an expert command of language. The book is lyrical, flowing, and cuts deep to the core of the human experience.

Anything I Didn't Like?
Nope, this is an amazing book.

So..?
If you haven't read any of Morrison's work, you must. I started with Beloved, but I've loved everything of hers I've read.

Saturday, November 26, 2016

Here is where I will be keeping track of the reading challenges I'm doing in 2017, and how I'm progressing on them!Cruisin' Through the Cozies:Level four (Sleuth Extraordinaire) - Read two books from each sub-genre in level one plus an additional 20 cozy books of your choice (total of 40 books)- Two from culinary (anything dealing with food: restaurants, baked goods, etc.)- Two from animal related (cats, dogs, birds, etc.)- Two from craft related (any kind of hobbies - knitting, crocheting, scrapbooking, etc.) - Two from paranormal (witches, vampires, etc.)- Two from British cozy mysteries (example: Belinda Lawrence series)- Two career-based cozy mystery (housekeeping, wedding planner, etc.)- Two holiday based (set during any holiday - Christmas, Thanksgiving, Valentines, etc.)- Two travel mystery (character could be on a cruise, touring another area, etc.)- Two historical mystery (any mystery not set in the present)- Two are your choice! (freebie!) (plus 20 more freebies to make 40 total)1. Looming Murder by Carol Ann Martin (craft-related)2. Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn (historical)3. Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander (culinary)4. Bel of the Brawl by Maggie McConnon (freebie)5. Crepe Factor by Laura Childs (craft-related)6. The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle (freebie)7. Double Dog Dare by Linda O. Johnston (animal)8. Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea (freebie)9. Wedding Bel Blues by Maggie McConnon (freebie)10. Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle (freebie)11. Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison (British)12. Half-Price Homicide by Elaine Viets (career-based)13. Hospitality and Homicide by Lynn Cahoon (career-based)14. Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams (freebie) 15. Raining Cats and Dogs by Laurien Berenson (animal)16. Pekoe Most Poison by Laura Childs (culinary)17.18.19.20.21.22.23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30.31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40Mount TBR Reading ChallengeMount Everest Read 100 books from your TBR pile/s1. With Malice by Eileen Cook2. Whiteout by Greg Rucka3. Looming Murder by Carol Ann Martin4. How to Be a Woman by Caitlin Moran5. The Sea of Tranquility of Katja Millay6. Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver7. Tales For a Winter's Night by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle8. Don't Turn Out the Lights by Bernard Minier9. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch10. Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn11. Girl with a Peal Earring by Tracy Chevalier12. Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple13. The Martian by Andy Weir14. Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver15. Orphan #8 by Kim van Alkemade16. Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander17. Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman18. The Case of the Blond Bonanza by Erle Stanley Gardner19. Year of the Dunk by Asher Price20. The Readaholic and the Poirot Puzzle by Laura DiSilverio21. This House is Haunted by John Boyne22. Chocolat by Joanne Harris23. Going Clear by Lawrence Wright24. You by Caroline Kepnes25. The Dinner by Herman Koch26. Joyland by Stephen King27. So Close the Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison28. The Poisoned House by Michael Ford29. Vanish by Tess Gerritsen30. The Summons by John Grisham31. Double Dog Dare by Linda O. Johnston32. Nancy Drew: The New Case Files #3: Together with the Hardy Boys by Gerry Conway33. The Surrogates: Volume 2: Flesh and Bone by Robert Vendetti 34. Journeys to the Twilight Zone edited by Carol Sterling35. The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich36. Whiteout: Volume 2: Melt by Greg Rucka37. More Information Than You Require by John Hodgman38. The Lost City of Z by David Grann39. Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle40. Always Watching by Chevy Stevens41. They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire42. The Silent Sister by Dianne Chamberlain43. Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner44. Blink by Malcolm Gladwell45. Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen46. Nine: An Anthology of Russia's Foremost Women Writers edited by Svetlana Alexiyevich47. The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji48. The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway49. Defending Jacob by William Landay50. The Boys of Winter by Wayne Coffey51. Half-Price Homicide by Elaine Viets52. The Missing One by Lucy Atkins53. The Sleep Room by F.R. Tallis54. True Story: Murder, Memoir, Mea Culpa by Michael Finkel55. The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith56. Scales of Justice by Ngaio Marsh57. The False Friend by Myla Goldberg58. Mindhunter by John Douglas59. Seance for a Vampire by Fred Saberhagen60. Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness in the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann61. The Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood62. Beneath the Bleeding by Val McDermid63. The Baker Street Translation by Michael Robertson64. Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams65. The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight66. Raining Cats and Dogs by Laurien Berenson67. The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman68. The Fever by Megan Abbott69. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagencrantz70.71.72.73.74.75.76.77.78.79.80.81.82.83.84.85.86.87.88.89.90.91.92.93.94.95.96.97.98.99.100. Ultimate Popstar Reading Challenge:1. A book recommended by a librarian: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Gailbraith 2. A book that's been on your TBR list for way too long: Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner3. A book of letters: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster4. An audiobook: Crooked House by Agatha Christie5. A book by a person of color: Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison6. A book with one of the four seasons in the title: The Boys of Winter: The Untold Story of a Coach, a Dream, and the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team by Wayne Coffey7. A book that is a story within a story: The Lake House by Kate Morton8. A book with multiple authors: Crime Through Time9. An espionage thriller: The 39 Steps by John Buchan10. A book with a cat on the cover: Raining Cats & Dogs by Laurien Berenson11. A book by an author who uses a pseudonym: Halfway House by Ellery Queen12. A bestseller from a genre you don't normally read: The Martian by Andy Weir13. A book by or about a person who has a disability: Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire14. A book involving travel: When in Rome by Ngaio Marsh15. A book with a subtitle: Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J. Mann16. A book that's published in 2017: The Fifth Petal by Brunonia Barry17. A book involving a mythical creature: Blood Pact by Tanya Huff18. A book you've read before that never fails to make you smile: The Italian Secretary: A Further Adventure of Sherlock Holmes by Caleb Carr (because it makes me think of my trips to Scotland) (re read)19. A book about food: Chocolat by Joanne Harris20. A book with career advice: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch21. A book from a nonhuman perspective: Animal Farm by George Orwell22. A steampunk novel: Waistcoats and Weaponry by Gail Carrier23. A book with a red spine : Good Morning, Irene by Carole Nelson Douglas24. A book seet in the wilderness: The Quality of Silence by Rosamund Lipton25. A book you loved as a child: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (re read)26. A book by an author from a country you've never visited: The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg27. A book with a title that's a character's name: Dracula by Bram Stoker (re read)28. A novel set during wartime: The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway29. A book with an unreliable narrator: Elizabeth Is Missing by Emma Healey30. A book with pictures: Whiteout by Greg Rucka31. A book where the main character is a different ethnicity than you: The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison32. A book about an interesting woman: Mrs. Sherlock Holmes: The True Story of New York City's Greatest Female Detective and the 1917 Missing Girl Case That Captivated a Nation by Brad Ricca33. A book set in two different time periods: The Secret History of the Pink Carnation by Lauren Willig34. A book with a month or day of the week in the title: Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream by H.G. Bissinger35. A book set in a hotel: Murder in the Mystery Suite by Ellery Adams36. A book written by someone you admire: Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin-Manuel Miranda and Jeremy Carter37. A book that's becoming a movie in 2017: The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann38. A book set around a holiday other than Christmas: Death of a Pumpkin Carver by Lee Hollis39. The first book in a series you haven't read before: Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn 40. A book you bought on a trip: With Malice by Eileen Cook Advanced List:

I'm going for the Sherlock Holmes level, 56+ books
1) With Malice by Eileen Cook
2) Black-Eyed Susans by Julia Heaberlin
3) Whiteout by Greg Rucka
4) Different Class by Joanne Harris
5) Looming Murder by Carol Ann Martin
6) Everything You Want Me to Be by Mindy Mejia
7) Trust No One by Paul Cleave
8) Curiosity House: The Shrunken Head by Lauren Oliver
9) Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson
10) Second Life by S.J. Watson
11) Tales For a Winter's Night by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
12) Don't Turn Out the Lights by Bernard Minier
13) Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens
14) Death at Wentwater Court by Carola Dunn
15) The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy
16) A Penny For the Hangman by Tom Savage
17) Take the Fall by Emily Hainsworth
18) Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich
19) Unrivaled by Alyson Noel
20) A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
21) The Amateurs by Sara Shepard
22) Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander
23) Bel of the Brawl by Maggie McConnon
24) Never Missing, Never Found by Amanda Panitch
25) Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman
26) The Whole Art of Dectection by Lyndsay Faye
27) Crepe Factor by Laura Childs
28) The Darkest Corners by Kara Thomas
29) The Case of the Blond Bonanza by Erle Stanley Gardner
30) This Is Our Story by Ashley Elston
31) Ill Will by Dan Chaon
32) The Mystery of Hollow Places by Rebecca Podos
33) What Remains of Me by Alison Gaylin
34) The Readaholics and the Poirot Puzzle by Laura DiSilverio
35) Finders Keepers by Stephen King
36) Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
37) Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen
38) Joyland by Stephen King
39) So Close the Hand of Death by J.T. Ellison
40) Blacklist by Alyson Noel
41) Vanish by Tess Gerritsen
42) Burntown by Jennifer McMahon
43) The Summons by John Grisham
44) The Hand That Feeds You by A.J. Rich
45) Double Dog Dare by Linda O. Johnston
46) Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea
47) Peril in Paperback by Kate Carlisle
48) Where Are You Now? by Mary Higgins Clark
49) Wedding Bel Blues by Maggie McConnon
50) Always Watching by Chevy Stevens
51) They All Fall Down by Roxanne St. Claire
52) The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain
53) Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner
54) Bloodstream by Tess Gerritsen
55) Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennisen
56) The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

Recommended If You Like: the original Holmes and Watson, creative retellings and continuations, clever young adult mysteries

The Book:

James Watson has always heard the story about the Holmes family and their connection to his own family, and has always dreamed of meeting his counterpart, Charlotte Holmes. When he gets uprooted from London and sent to the same boarding school she attends, he has his chance--and when a mystery arises mimicking famous Holmes and Watson stories, he just may realize his dreams.

What I Liked:

Sherlock Holmes is my all-time favorite character, Holmes and Watson my all-time favorite literary friendship, so I'm always intrigued by a re-telling or continuation of their story. I loved the idea that their families had continued on, and their great great great grandchildren were meeting to solve a mystery together.

James and Charlotte are great complex characters in their own right, and the formation of their relationship is handled in a really realistic and compelling way. The side characters are great too, from James' father (who has a list of over one hundred things any Watson needs to know about their Holmes), to Charlotte's brother Milo (reminiscent of Mycroft).

The mystery is also excellent. It has a lot of twists and turns, and exciting moments. I really enjoyed the way the book kept nodding to the Holmes and Watson canon with the crimes.

Anything I Didn't Like?

It's so nitpicky of me, but with a book I enjoyed this much there's very little to say I didn't like. I wanted to know more about how Holmes had a child to continue on his lineage, because it seems to run so against type (even if he was married to Mary Russell ;) ). There was one sentence, almost a throwaway, about it, but I feel like it didn't necessarily make sense. I get that it had to happen though to have this story happen at all.

So...?

This is a great book. I always get both excited and nervous about Holmes' reimaginings, because I love the originals so much, but not only has Cavallaro done the canon proud, but put her own unique spin on it. I am really looking forward to the second book in the series!

Read for the Semi-Charmed Winter Book Challenge 2016

Title: Northanger Abbey

Author: Val McDermid

Publication Date: April 14, 2015

Genre: Literary Fiction/Suspense/Gothic

Recommended If You Like: the original Northanger Abbey, clever new takes on the classic gothic genre

The Book:

This is part of The Austen Project, with contemporary authors re imagining classic Austen novels.

Cat Morland is a reader, one who has spent her whole life in a small English village. When her neighbors invite her to accompany them on a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Cat jumps on the opportunity.

While at the Fringe Festival, she befriends two families, the Thorpes and the Tilneys. The Tilneys own Northanger Abbey, the mysterious old home that may be the key to Cat living her book fantasies in real life.

What I Liked:

Northanger Abbey is one of my favorite classics, and I love Gothic tales. I also love Val McDermid from her Tony Hill and Dr. Carol Jordan series, so I was really excited to hear about this book.

McDermid did not disappoint. I loved this modern spin on an already great story. She makes you love the characters you're supposed to love, suspect the characters you're supposed to suspect, and boo the characters you're supposed to boo.

The suspense and tension around the possible secrets of Northanger Abbey itself were also really well-developed.

Anything I Didn't Like?

I wanted them to get to Northanger Abbey sooner ;) I loved all the set up, but was especially excited for when they finally reached their mysterious destination.

So...?

This makes me want to pick up more of The Austen Project books, and re read the original Northanger Abbey. McDermid does a great job of putting her own spin on a great tale.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

*My family
I am truly lucky to have such a wonderful family that I am so close to. I live about ten minutes walk from my parents, and I'm going to be visiting my brother and sister-in-law for Thanksgiving starting tomorrow. I have aunts, uncles, and cousins I love, and my grandfather is 93 years old.

*My friends
My best friend has been in my life for 24 years now, and so has another very close friend. I have another friend I've known for over a decade, and a newer friend who came into my life a few years ago and has become such a great friend. I keep in touch with my closest friend from college, and my friends from when I studied abroad, and have been lucky enough to add friends to my life as the years have passed.

*My dog, Sherlock
Sherlock is my furry baby, and I couldn't love him more. We rescued each other about four and a half years ago, and he has brought such joy into my life.

*My job
I am so lucky to be getting to do what I love-teaching-and doing it in a place with kind coworkers, where I feel appreciated, and where my boss trusts me to do what I think is best.

*Books
Books are up there in my favorite things in the world, as I'm sure you could guess. I'm so lucky to be able to read, and to be surrounded by so many great things to read.

*This blog
I'm so glad I decided to start this blog. It's brought me so much joy, kept me writing, introduced me to great new people, and brought new books into my life.

*My health
My asthma is controlled, I'm not in physical therapy for my knee anymore, and medications seem to be working how they are supposed to.

*A sense of contentment
It's taken time, and work, but I feel so comfortable in my own skin, and so happy and settled into who I am.

*My apartment
It's all mine, full of my books, and art, and a reading corner, and a comfy cozy reading chair.

*My city
I love all Chicago has to offer, from museums to sports to independent bookstores and restaurants. Chicago is going through some tough times, but I have to believe we will come together and find a way to lift our city and its people up, and keep everyone safe.

And I'm thankful for all of you, for visiting this blog and talking with me and just generally being amazing! <3

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

The Book:
Meier, Hollis, and Ross each contribute a novella-length cozy mystery themed around eggnog and the holiday season. Each of their stories contains characters from their own mystery series.

What I Liked:
These are fun, quick reads to get you in the holiday spirit. Each mystery was good, and had some nice twists at the end.

I also really enjoyed getting the glimpses into each author's characters. It makes me want to read more of their books.

Anything I Didn't Like?
There really wasn't much not to like about this book. I really liked getting three cozy mysteries in one book, all holiday-themed, all with clever solutions, and all with engaging characters.

So...?
If you're looking for a fun, holiday-themed read, this is a great cozy mystery collection.